“Blues Surprise” Playlist
Found in: Blues, Curriculum
Mark M., New York
I recently put together this Spotify playlist of songs that many people may be surprised to find out use the 12-bar blues structure (or fairly minor variations of it). I left out lots of the early rock era (1950s-1960s) songs that use 12-bar structure, since it had become a very popular/trite thing to do — I included only a few very notable/unique examples from that era. I’m also purposely leaving out most examples of songs in obvious blues or blues-rock styles from all eras. A few songs here have explicit lyrics, so be appropriately mindful about sharing. If you ever can’t figure out where in a song the 12-bar structure is or how it was modified, ask in comments and I’ll clarify. And if you have suggestions on songs for me to add to the playlist, I will take requests under consideration!
Blues Surprise, a playlist by Mark S. Meritt on Spotify
Maureen K., California
Thank you Mark for this fabulous list! I taught an ear training class this summer. Sometimes I would put on a pop song that was a variation of the 12 bar blues (didn’t tell the students that) and had them chart the chords by ear. It went well so I plan to incorporate ear training into my curriculum. Your list is a fantastic resource. Thank you again.
Original discussion started August 21, 2019
